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The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has accredited 36 observers on behalf of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to monitor the parliamentary elections. Observers represent about 20 countries, inclusively from E.U., CIS, U.S., and others. They will monitor the opening of polling stations, the voting process, the counting of ballot papers and the final results. CEC has also accredited three observers on behalf of the Hungarian Embassy to Moldova. Organisations willing to monitor the parliamentary elections must apply for accreditation until March 30. So far, CEC accredited 118 observers overall. (Source: Moldpres)

CEC has set supplementary tasks for the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Interior Ministry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Information and Security Service, Ministry of Information Development, Ministry of Construction and Territorial Development, Transport Agency and Moldtelecom S.A., with the purpose to ensure good conditions for the April 5, 2009 parliamentary elections. (Source: CEC communication)

Persons who will be physically disabled or will not be able to come to the polling station for other valid reasons will be able to apply for the mobile voting from March 22 to April 5, 03:00 p.m. This fact is stipulated by the instruction concerning particularities of participation in the parliamentary elections, approved by CEC on March 6. Under the regulation, the mobile box will be used for the voting by persons held under an arrest warrant until pronunciation of a judicial decision, persons sentenced but waiting for definitive sentences, and inmates who committed not very grave crimes. Electors who will be in sanatoriums, hospitals in other localities than theirs will cast their ballots at polling stations covering the institutions concerned. The document also regulates the voting on the basis of supplementary lists, the voting outside of Moldova, and the voting on the basis of stay declarations. A distinct chapter describes the modality of applying the special stamp “ELECTIONS 05.04.09” on identity documents. The stamp will be applied on page 8 of the annex to identity cards and on page 6 of the passports. (Source: Moldpres)

The Central Electoral Commission has forewarned the Alliance Moldova Noastra, the Liberal Party and the Liberal Democratic Party for airing illegal electoral advertising. CEC obliged these parties to withdraw the advertising concerned from radio and television channels, as well as from Internet. CEC sanctioned the three parties after a representative of the Party of Communists, Serghei Sirbu, has submitted an appeal in this respect. Thus, CEC established that the three parties used records violating Article 12 of the election coverage regulation. The regulation says that the advertising shall not feature institutions of Parliament, Presidency and Government. As well, the article concerned prohibits the use of symbols of other countries, international organisations, and the Liberal Party, Liberal Democratic Party and Alliance Moldova Noastra committed a breach in this regard. (Source: Moldpres)

The Electoral Division Council of the Chisinau municipality (CECC) has warned the Liberal Party (PL) for violation of electoral legislation and obliged the political party to withdraw its advertising spot from TV, as it disadvantages the Party of Communists (PCRM). Ion Bargan, PL representative to CECC, said that this decision is illegal and noted that the party will contest it in the Central Electoral Commission. The spot was contested because it “brings grave accusations against electoral contestant PCRM, featuring archives which have no connection with electoral candidate PCRM. At the same time, it brings illegal insinuations which seriously affect the image and defame the PCRM.” The PCRM statute says that “the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) brings together citizens of the country, adepts of communist ideology on voluntary principles. It is the legal successor, heir of ideas and traditions of the Communist Party of Moldova.” (Source: Unimedia)

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has registered four more electoral contestants. They are: independent candidate Rilean Victor, who submitted 2,500 signatures supporting his candidacy, of them about 2,400 were valid; the Movement for People and Country (53 candidates on list); the Labour Union Patria-Rodina (53 candidates); and the Republican Party (61 candidates). CEC is set to examine soon the last three applications from independent candidates. CEC has also approved changes in candidate lists of the Party of Communists, Centrist Union of Moldova, Party of Spiritual Development Moldova Unita and Ecological Party Alianta Verde. Candidates withdrawn from the PCRM list include among others the minister of education and youth, Larisa Savga, singer Constantin Moscovici and the leader of the PCRM faction in the Chisinau Municipal Council, Svetlana Popa. UCM introduced Nicolae Andronic, No. 4 candidate, and Valeri Klimenko, No. 7. In order to participate in elections as a UCM candidate, Andronic tendered resignation as leader and member of the Republican People’s Party and Klimenko stepped down as leader and member of Ravnopravye Movement.

Political parties using undeclared resources risk the maximal penalty foreseen by Electoral Code — the exclusion from electoral campaign under a definitive decision by law court, said Iurie Ciocan, secretary of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), replying to a report that the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova has allegedly paid participants in a recent meeting in Chisinau. Ciocan noted that the electoral legislation stipulates express that political parties shall use only funds foreseen in electoral fund. (Source: Omega)

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has established, after drawing lots, the preliminary order in ballot papers of three more potential independent candidates who have applied for participation in the April 5 parliamentary elections. They are: Alexandr Lomakin, the No. 21, followed by Valentina Cuşnir and Veaceslav Rosca. March 5 was the deadline for application for registration as electoral contestants. The electoral list includes 23 contestants, of them 7 independents. Under Electoral Code, CEC shall register candidates within 7 days after receiving their applications. The order of ballot paper will be definitive after CEC will decide on registration of electoral contestants to parliamentary elections. (Source: Info-Prim)

While meeting Council of Europe Secretary-General Terry Davis on March 6, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin assured of respect for pluralism of ideas, conduct of free and fair elections in our country. In his turn, Terry Davis was optimistic that Moldova will remain true to these principles, regardless of results of the April 5 parliamentary elections. (Source: Moldpres)

The Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) has turned down an appeal by Moldova Noastra Alliance and kept in effect a decision of the Chisinau Court of Appeal not to oblige the Central Electoral Commission to open supplementary polling stations outside of Moldova. AMN will contest the SCJ decision in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) as part of proceedings opened by ECHR on a similar case. Earlier, the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova has applied to ECHR with the same issue and the application is being considered. (Source: Info-Prim)

These elections have a distinct meaning for Moldova — they represent an important stage in changing the domestic political class, opens the change of generations in politics, according to the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM), Vlad Filat. Interviewed by Infotag, Filat was confident that PLDM will accede to the next Parliament. In this context, he believes that the presence of his party in the Parliament would mean “that the time to change generations in politics has come… The society has been waiting for this change and we knew to bring the necessary solution.” (Source: interview by Infotag)

The chairman of the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD), Iurie Rosca, proposes a series of amendments to the Supreme Law aimed to complete the constitutional reform opened in 2000. According to the PPCD leader, efforts of the new Parliament shall primarily focus on the constitutional reform, which shall envisage the rebalancing of competences of the chief of state, head of Parliament and prime minister. The draft stipulates among others: the chief of state shall not be entrusted to dissolve the Parliament; shall not hold the exclusive right to nominate the prime minister. Neither the chief of state nor the prime minister “shall hold the right to revoke members of Government or operate groundless reshuffles without Parliament’s participation.” The head of the Parliament shall not be empowered to nominate the prosecutor-general, and this shall be the competence of legal parliamentary factions. These reforms would aim to turn Moldova into an authentic parliamentary republic to avoid the setup and fortification of the “vertical of power”.

Six policemen from Chisinau showed up at the Nisporeni-based station Albasat TV on March 5 to operate a new unexpected investigation. But their plans failed, as representatives of 14 TV stations from Moldova were attending there a seminar on exercising some elements for organising electoral debates, said Valeriu Saharneanu, director of the Euronova Media Grup to which Albasat TV is part. “Under those unfavourable conditions, the policemen had to withdraw promising to come back another day. Nor this time the police team announced their raid and presented any documents to justify their strong interest for Albasat TV,” Saharneanu added. The TV station was stormed for the first time on February 25, when three policemen searched its offices without introducing themselves and without presenting any warrant. Following controls, the police established that Albasat TV did not include incomes estimated at 420,000 lei in the bookkeeping record for 2007, with the TV station administration rejecting these accusations. The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) condemned the police actions, stressing that “the communist regime uses all available levers to intimidate and make the free press silent in full electoral campaign.” PLDM asked the Central Electoral Commission to take actions against assaults on the media during electoral campaign. (Source: Info-Prim / PLDM communication)